Erhürman and Christodoulides agree on two new crossings
Northern Cyprus Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman and Southern Cyprus Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides agreed to open two additional crossings at United Nations-hosted talks. Emergency coordination and archival exchanges also form part of the agreement. The leaders met envoy María Ángela Holguín in the buffer zone as efforts continue to restart negotiations that last collapsed in 2017.
Geopolitics··Evening
Leaders reach an agreement in the buffer zone
Northern Cyprus Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman and Southern Cyprus Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides agreed on two additional crossing points during talks on 9 November. United Nations envoy María Ángela Holguín joined them in the buffer zone in Nicosia, the island’s divided capital. The agreement also covers emergency coordination and exchanges of archival material. Christodoulides welcomed the outcome as progress towards resolving the Cyprus problem.[1], [2]
Further talks are envisaged with Guterres
The United Nations described the meeting as positive and said another discussion with Secretary-General António Guterres was envisaged in the coming weeks. Christodoulides said he wanted negotiations to resume before the secretary-general’s term ended at the end of the year. Guterres revived the settlement effort during the summer and proposed additional crossings as a confidence-building measure. The new agreement would bring the number of crossings to eleven once implemented, according to local reporting cited by Al Jazeera.[1]
Formal negotiations last collapsed in 2017
The two sides continue to disagree over the ground rules for negotiations. Their last formal round ended without a settlement in 2017. An earlier power-sharing administration broke down in 1963, and the island was divided in 1974 after a coup backed by Greece’s military government and a Turkish military intervention. United Nations peacekeepers monitor the ceasefire line. The Northern Cyprus Turkish Cypriot and Southern Cyprus Greek Cypriot sides also differ over Ankara’s direct role in a settlement process.[1]
